Railway-gate



- 5 Sheets-Shet .(No Model.) 1

q A. BARRE & R URRIER.

- RAILWAY GATE. No. 523,783." I Patented July 31, l894.

Az'ma Barrem Wfl asses 7 i m By 2 gdwardflzz r (N0 Mod-ell) I I 5Sheet-Sheet 5.

- A; BARRE-& E. GURRIEIL- V A RAILWAY GATE. No. 523,783. Patented July31, 1894.

I 93C 1 8, Aime Barre Edward/Currier UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE.

AIME BARRE AND EDWARD CURRIER, OF FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILWAY-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 523,783, dated July 31,1894, Application filed October 16, 1893: Serial No. 438,316. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, AIME BARRF. and ED- WARD CURRIER, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Fall River, in thecounty of Bristol and Stateof Massachusetts, have invented v a new and useful Railway-Gate, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to railway gates, and has special reference tocertain new and use: ful improvements upon the construction disclosed inUnited States Patent No. 493,577, granted E. Currier March 14, 1893.

The objects of our present invention are to simplify the construction ofthe mechanism as a whole; to increase its efficiency and adapt the sameto operate positively and smoothly.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in thefollowing description and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in'the claims.

Referring to the drawings:-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a railwaycrossing, the

same being provided with gates arranged in accordance with our inventionand illustrating alocomotive thereon in the act of operating themechanism. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the mechanism. Fig. 3 is avertical longitudinal sectional View through one of the gate supports.Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional View through the same. Fig. 5 is adetail in perspective of one of the drums employed for operating thegates. Fig. 6 is a view of the drum and disk, thesame being separated.Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional View through one of the drums and itsdisk. Fig. 8 is a detail in perspective of the operating shoe carried bythe locomotive. Fig. 9 is a detail in perspective of the mechanism belowone of the mast-arms. Fig. l0 isa horizontal sectional view through themechanism below a mast-arm. Fig. 11 is a detail hereinafter referred to.Fig. 12 is a detail plan view of one of the drums for operating thegates. Fig. 13 is a detail elevation or edge view of the constructionshown in Fig. 12, with a section taken on the line .e'z. Fig.-14 is adetail elevation partly in section of one of the 'ad justing armscarrying the U-shaped catches. Fig. 15 is a detail sectional view on theline a-ct of Fig. 14. Fig. 16 is a detail plan view of the adjacentpulleys that are located in' the hollow'mast standards, said pulleysbeing shown slightly separated to illustrate the engagement of the'pinscarried thereby.

' Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures ofthe drawings. In carrying out our invention We employ at opposite sidesof the track and of the crossingthe-usual mast-standards 1, which are ofinverted U-shape in vertical section and have arranged at their outersides hoods 2 for covering certain mechanism hereinafter described. Eachof the standards 1 has located transversely therein a shaft 3 whose endsextend beyond the sides of the standard and through perforationsformedin the bifurcated portion of the mast 5. 'These masts are of theusual construction, and each pair is designed to constitute a gate andto be swung toward each other by mechanism hereinafter described. Themasts are weighted 'attheir outer ends as indicated at 6 in order tocounterbalance the weights of the masts at the opposite sides of theirfulcrum. Depending springs' 7 are secured at their'upper ends to studs 8at the outer side of each standard and pass through perforations 9formed in studs 10 arranged below the studs 8. These springs constitutebuffer-arms against which the weights maystrike when the masts areelevated.

In each standard there are loosely mounted upon the transverse shaft 3 alarge and a small grooved pulleyll and 12 respectively, and secured tothe large pulley and extending laterally therefrom is a yoke-barl3,'which has its ends passed through curved slots 14 formed in the sidewalls of the standard 1 concentric with the shaft .and beyond said slotsbent to engagewith the bifurcations of the mast. A rope or cable 15 ismade fast to the large pulley and extends rearward under the hood 2 downthrough a perforation 16 formed in the base 17 over guide-pulleys 18located above said perforation and is connected to the upper end of avertically movable weight 19. This weight 19 is vertically bored orgrooved at its sides and designed for movement upon vertical guide-rods20,

which rods are arranged parallel in a de pending U-shaped frame 21 thatextends.

from the base 17. A bracket-arm 22 projects from one side of thisU-shaped frame, and upon the same is pivoted by a bolt 23 a ICO'horizontally movable latch 24, whose opposite free end passes through aslot formed in a corresponding bracket arm 26 at the opposite side ofthe frame. A spring 27 is connected with the latch and serves to drawthe same inwardly into the path of a beveled shoulder or catch 28 whichis located at the front side of the aforesaid weight 19. A pair ofhangers 30 are located. at the under side of the base 17 and providejournals for a transverse shaft 31 upon which is mounted a groovedpulley 32. This grooved pulley 32 is by means of an endless belt 33'engaged with the smaller pulley 12 before mentioned so that any movementupon the part of either pulley is communicated to the other.

A wrist-pin 34 extends from the pulley 32 and has connected to it a.releasing rod 35. This extends through the bracket 26 which isperforated for its reception below the free end of the latch and isprovided at each side of the latch with stops 36, the front stop beingdesigned to abut against the front end of the bracket 26 and the rearstop against the latch 24, and thus withdraw the same from under thecatch 28 of the weight 19 and permit the latter to descend.

' weighted piston head 40 is located in the cylinder, and from the upperside of the same there extends a piston-rod 41 which projects throughthe upper end or head of the cylinder through a perforation in the base17 and is loosely connected by a pin 42 to the lower end of a connectingrod 43 attached atits upper end to a wrist-pin 44 that extends from theinner bifurcation of the mast. This completes the construction of one ofthe standards, its mast, and operating mechanism, and it will beunderstood that each of the remain ing standards is but a duplicationand hence requires no specific description.

Beyond the pairs of masts and standards and located between the rails ofthe track are the trip-drums and their auxiliary mechanisms. Thetrip-drum 45 has its periphery provided with a series of teeth 46, andinto its inner face are let rings 47 and 48 which are concentric butareprovided with inclined ratchet-teeth disposed in reverse directions.Each drum is mounted upon a transverse shaft 49 located in dependingbearings 50 supported from the base 17 of the mechanism. At the toothedside of each drum there is arranged a disk 51. fast upon the shaft so asto move therewith. Each disk isprovided with two curved pivoted latches52, the same being reversely disposed with relation to each other andhaving at their front ends cam-portions, or, in other words, cut away soas to enable them to ride readily over an obstacle. From each of thelatches there extends in ward a pawl 53, said pawls having beveled innerends, the bevels being arranged upon them at reverse sides, whereby whenone pawl is in engagement with the toothed ring47 the remaining pawl isfree to glide over the inclined teeth of the ring 48, and vice versa.These pawls are normally maintained in engagement with their teeththrough the medium of coiled springs 54 which surround the same and areinterposed between their inner beveled ends and the wall of the disk 51.

Pairs of arms 55 are loosely mounted at their inner ends and arrangedupon the shafts 49, said arms being located adjacent to the faces of thedisks 51. The outer portions of these arms are provided with slots 56,which register with a curved slot 57 formed in a curved guide-bar 58that is secured to the under side of the base 17. Through this curvedslot 57 of the guide-bar binding-screws or bolts 58 are passed, theinner ends of the same taking through the'slots 56 formed in the radialarms 55 before mentioned, and thumb-nuts 59 are located upon the outerends of the belts or screws, whereby the aforesaid arms may be regulatedor adjusted and secured at any point desired.

A pair of bearing-ears 60 is arranged upon each of the arms 55 near theshaft 49 and between each pair of bearing ears a spring-finger 61 ispivoted, the tendency of the finger being to spring outward away fromthe arm at its free end. These fingers lie in the paths of the latches52 and are designed to be overridden and compressed by a pair ofcam-arms 62, which are disposed in opposite directions and secured tothe face of the disk 51 between the center thereof and the cam-latchesand said cam arms 62, are provided in theirinner edges with notches, asclearly illustrated in Figs. 5 and 13 of the drawings, and the notchesin said arms are adapted to receive the fingers 61, when they spring up,so that such fingers may move against the latches 52 to disengage thepawls carried thereby. Stoparms 63 project from the cam-arms and overlapthe latches to limit the upward movements of the latter.

Posts 64 are located upon the arms 55, and upon each post is pivoted byits pin 65 a U- shaped catch 66 whose inner end is normallyspringpressed by a spring 67 above the spring-finger 61, and whose outerend is arranged in the path of'a pair of notched releasing-fingers 68secured to the periphery of the disk between the arms 55. Upon the outerend of each of the shafts 49 a grooved pulley 69 is located. Shafts 31like the shafts 49 project beyond their bearings at one side, and one ofsaid shafts is provided with apair of grooved pulleys 70 and 71 whilethe other is provided with a single pulley 72. A cable 73 is secured tothe pulleys 69 and extends from the upper sides thereof over'the pulley71 and a cross-belt 74 connects the pulleys 70 and 72. Thus it will beseen that a rotary motion upon the partof one of the pulleys 69 will bereversed as regards the pulleys 71 and 70, and the shaft- 31 upon whichthey are mounted, which motion will be again reversed and transmitted tothe companion shaft 31, so that the shafts will be rotated toward eachother. Such rotation uponthe part of the shafts 31 causes the groovedpulleys 32 of said shafts to rotate, and through the medium .of theirendless belts 33 motion is transmitted to the pulleys 12 connectedtherewith. Pins arranged on the inner side of the pulleys 12 anddesignated as 7 5 engage with corresponding pins 76 formed on the innerfaces of the adjacent larger pulleys 11, so that the latter are revolvedwith the former and hence carry with them the transverse yoke-bars 13which are thus drawn from under the bifurcated portions of the mastleaving them free to be influenced by the weighted pistons 40, whichbegin to descend forcing the air under the same from the cylindersthrough the vents '39. The rapidity of the weighted piston it will beobserved will be regulated by the vents 39. At the same time, that thepistons descend the masts swing downward and the pulleys in the maststandards on opposite sides of the road or highway rotate forward ortoward each other it will be seen that the ropes or cables will be drawnup together with the weights 19, so that the catches 28v of the weightswill ride against the latches, 24 forcing the same outward against thetension of 7 their springs. When the weights arrive above the latchesand the latter are no longer influenced by the catches, the springsthrow the latches back under the catches and thus aid in the support ofthe weights. This movement of the mechanism is caused by a rotation ofthe toothed drum 46 at either end of the mechanism, it being understoodthat the peripheries of these drums extend through openings 77 formed inthe base 17 between the rails of the track,'and are in position to bestruck by friction-shoes arranged under the locomotive. A train cominginthe direction illustrated in Fig. 1 will operate upon the drum so asto cause the same together with its disk to rotate in the direction ofthe mov ing train, one of the spring-pawls 53 riding loosely over theteeth with which it engages and the remaining pawl engaging with theteeth and causing the disk and drum to move together in the mannerspecified. In this manner the releasing-finger 68 is cau'sedfito abutagainst the U :shaped latch 66 andswing the same so that the inner endof the latter will be drawn from over the outwardly springpressed finger61, and the latter being liberated strikes against the latch, whose pawlis in operative engagement with the teeth of the ratchet and withdrawsthe same so that the momentum given the drum will continue to rotate thesame without breaking the parts or operating the mechanism further. Whenthe train reaches the opposite drum this operation will be reversed andthe shafts 31 operated so as to cause the releasing rods carried bythe-disks or pulleys 32 thereof-to withdraw the latches 24 from underthe weights 19,

and they being liberated will descend along,

with the pins of the pulleys 11, permitting .thelatter to be operatedthrough the medium of the descending weights 19, and by reason of theiryoke-bars lifting the masts. It will be seen that the movements of thepulleys 32 will cause the liberating rods to engage with the-latches 24and withdraw thelatter against the tension of their springs from underthe weights 19.

Referring more particularly to the operation of the drums 45, that aremounted loosely upon the shafts 49, it is to be observed'that a traincoming in one direction will operate upon the drum to cause the sametogether with its disk to rotate in the direction of the moving train,it having been previously ob served that in this movement one of thepawls 54, rides loosely over the teeth with which it engages and theremaining pawl engages with the teeth so as to cause the disk and drumto move together. Continuing in this movement, the latch that ispivotally connected with the engaged pawl'is carried over one of thespring fingers 61, which is held depressed by the adjacent cam arm 62,until one of the notched releasing fingers 68 is brought into strikingcontact with one end of the U-shaped catch 66, that is normally heldinto engagement with one end of the particular spring finger 61,referred to. Immediately upon the, releasing finger 68, striking one endof the U-shaped catch 66, the latter is swung on its pivot and one endthereof is thrown out of engagement from over one end of the springfingers 61, thereby allowing the latter to fly up into the notch of thecam arm 62, and against one end of the latch 52, connected with theengaged pawl, and this movement throws the said latch outwardly todisengage IIO the pawl, so that the drum will be disconnected'from thedisk and may continue to rotate without breaking the mechanism oroperating the same further. With a train in an'opposite directionfromthat described, the operation just detailed willbe reversed, and it isto be observed that when the cam arms 62, are carried away from over thespring fingers 61, such fingers are pressed inwardly against the tensionof their springs flat onto the arms 55, so that the U-shaped catches 66,

will automatically engage at one edge over the free end of the springfingers to hold them in position for the latches 52, and the coming camarms 62, toride thereoverwhen the disk is turned in the properdirection.

From the foregoing description, in connec* tion with the accompanyingdrawings, it will be seen thatwe have provideda very simple,automatically operated railway-gate, which is positive and easy in itsmovements, and is composed of few parts.

Various designs of frictional shoes for engaging with the drums may bedevised, but I have illustrated the preferred form in Fig. '7, wherein78 designates a base that is secured to the under side of the locomotiveat any desired point, and to the under side of this base a pairoftransverse guide-bars 79 are secured, and at one side of the latter arock-shaft 30 which may be swung by means of a connecting-rod 81attached to a rock-arm 82. A second rock-arm 83 projects from therockshaft and is by means of a connecting-rod 84 connected to-afriction-shoe 85 which is transversely perforated to receive loosely theguiderods 79 upon which said shoe is mounted. A coiled spring 86 issecured to the shoe at one side and at its opposite end to the base, sothat it is normally drawn in one direction and that preferably in theplane of the operating drums. Of cou rse by operating the rod 81 theshoe may be swung out of the path of the drums, and thus the train notoperate the same.

We do not limit our invention to the precise details of constructionherein shown and described, but hold that we may vary the same to anydegree and extent within the knowledge of the skilled mechanic withoutdeparting from the same or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

I-Iaving described our invention, what we claim is- 1. The combinationwith a railway track, the opposite pairs of gates, the opposite drumsarranged between the rails of the track and beyond the gates, ofmechanism between the drums and the gates for operating the latter bymovement of the former, a spring actuated shoe secured to the under sideof the locomotive and adapted to come in contact with the drums andoperate the same, and means for throwing the shoe into and out ofalignment with the drums, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with the gates, drums arranged between the rails ofthe track, and mechanism between the drums operated thereby and adaptedto operate the gates, of a base secured to the under side of thelocomotive, transverse guide-rods arranged on the under side of thebase, a friction-shoe for operating the drums arranged for transversemovement on the guide-rods, a spring for normally drawing the shoe inone direction, a

rock-shaft journaled at the side of shoe, arms connected to the shaftand to the shoe, and an operating rod connected with one of the arms foroscillating the shaft and moving the shoe against the spring,substantially as specified.

3. The combination with the railway gates, the opposite transverseshafts arranged beyond thesame, friction drumsarranged loosely -on theshafts and having catches, disks arranged at the sides of the drums andtight upon the shafts and provided with perforations, pairs of reverselydisposed latches pivoted on the disks and having reversely beveled pawlslocated in the perforations, springs for normally pressing the pawls'through the perforations into engagement with catches on the drums, camarms arranged upon the disks and extending beyond the latches,springfingers supported in the path of the latches and the cam arms andnormally pressed out ward, catches arranged in the path of thespring-fingers and designed to compress the same, and releasing-fingersarranged on the disks and adapted to come in contact with and operatethe catches so as to liberate the fingers, of motion-conveying devicesbetween the shafts of the disks and the gates, and means for operatingthe gates in the reverse direction, substantially as specified.

4. The combination with the railway gates, the opposite transverseshafts located beyond the gates, the friction-drums arranged loosely onthe shafts and projecting upward between the track-rails and provided attheir inner sides with reversely disposed annularly arrangedratchet-teeth, a disk at one side of each drum rigidly mounted on theshaft, arms extending from each shaft, a support for the outer endsofthe arms, spring-fingers pivoted upon the arms, latches pivoted aboveand adaptedto be normally located in the paths of the fingers and tolock the same, liberating fingers arranged on the peripheries of thedisk and adapted to come in contact with the catches and liberate thespring fingers, a pair of pivoted latches arranged between the arms uponthe disk and having their free ends out away and adapted to ride overthe fingers,

pawls connected with the said latches and extending through the disksand normally spring-pressed into engagement with the teeth of the drumand having reversely disposed beveled faces, finger-depressing cam armsarranged upon the disk and extending beyond each of the latches,motion-conveying devices between the shafts and the gates, and means foroperating the gates in the reverse direction, substantially asspecified.

5. The combination with the pairs of railway gates the friction-dru msbeyond the same arranged between the rails, the transverse shafts forloosely supporting the drums, the disks arranged upon the shafts at thesides of the drums, reversely disposed inclined teeth arranged annularlyat the sides of the drums adjacentto the disks, the curved slottedguidebar 57 arranged at the side of each disk, the arms mounted on theshaft of each disk and slotted at their outer ends, adjusting boltsreversely disposed and having outer cam ends for riding over thefingers, reversely beveled spring-pressed p'awls arranged on the latchesand extending through perforations in the disk and engaging the teeth,oppositely disposed cam arms extending beyond the latches and adapted todepress the spring-fingers and provided with stops, of motion-conveyingdevices between the shafts and gates for closing the gates, and meansfor liberating and returning the same, substantially as specified.

6. The combination with the opposite pairs of standards, transverseshafts arranged therein, a pulley arranged upon eachshaft, and amast-arm carried by each shaft of the opposite transverse shafts 49,means for operating the same, pulleys 69 on the outer ends of the shafts49, transverse shafts 31 arranged below the gates, pulleys arrangedthereon, endless belts between the pulleys of the gatestandards andthose of the shafts 3l,a pulley 71 carried by one of the shafts 31, theoperating cable 73 connecting the pulleys 69 and passed reversely aroundand connected to the pulley 7 l, pulleys 70 on the outer ends of theshafts 81, the cross-belt 74 connecting said latter pulleys, and meansfor elevating the masts, substantially as specified.

7. In a railway gate, the combination with the hollow standard, thetransverse shaft, the pair of pulleys arranged on the shaft, a lowertransverse shaft, a pulley thereon an endless belt connecting the'latterpulley with one of the upper pulleys, and means for operating saidlatter pulley, of a cable connected to the remaining upper pulley, aweight connected with the cable for operating the same,engaging devicesbetween the two pulleys, a mast carried by the upper shaft, and atransverse yoke-bar carried by the weighted pulley and extending throughopposite grooves in the standard and engaging the mast, substantially asspecified.

8. In a railway gate, the combination with the hollow standard, thetransverse shaft, the pan of pulleys arranged on the shaft, alowertransverse shaft, a pulley thereon, an endless belt connecting thelatter pulleyv with one of the upper pulleys, and means for operatingsaid latter pulley, of a cable connected to the remaining upper pulley,a weight connected with the cable for operating the same,engaging-devices between the two pulleys, a mast carried by the uppershaft, a transverse yokebar carried by the weighted pulley and extendingthrough opposite grooves in the standard and engaging the mast, apneumatic cylinder arranged at the side of the standard, a

a pulley carried thereby, an endless belt connecting the said pulleywith the small pulley of the upper shaft, of a rear frame having guides,a cable connected to the large pulley and extending to the guides, aweight mounted for movement in the guides and connected to the cable andprovided at its lower end with a catch, brackets extending from theguides, a horizontally pivoted latch spring-pressed in the path of thecatch, a connecting rod between the lower pulley and the latch, meansfor operating the lower shaft, a pneumatic cylinder, a vent at the lowerend thereof, a weighted piston arranged in the cylinder, a piston-rodprojecting through the head of the cylinder, and a connecting-rodbetween the upper end of the piston-rod and the outer end of theyoke-bar, substantially as specified.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have heretoaffixed our signatures in the presence of twp witnesses.

AIME BARRE.

m EDWARD r OURRIER. mark Witnesses:

JEAN B. GANDREAN, FERDINAND HEALY.

